Flat display panels such as a liquid crystal display panel, a panel of a liquid crystal projector, an organic electroluminescence element and the like are used in various areas for communication between a machine and a man. Various electronic controller circuits necessary for a display function are formed on inner surfaces of two plates made of a brittle material or brittle materials, and opposed to each other. The two plates are adhered to each other in a fabrication process of such a flat display panel. The electronic controller circuits control a functional material sealed in a space between the two plates, and the panel is used as a display apparatus to display a visible image.
A prior art fabrication process of a liquid crystal panel as one of flat display panels is explained here. It is to be noted that separation of plates made of a brittle material, such as glass plates, into a plurality of parts is referred to as a “separating” or “breaking” in the art. Hereinafter, a “separating” step is referred to as a step after scribing until division into a plurality of panels.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the fabrication of a liquid crystal panel 10, which is a kind of a flat display panel, two glass plates 12, 14 are adhered to each other with a sealant 16. Scribing lines are typically formed on the two glass plates of the liquid crystal panel 10 of a large size (or mother panel), and a force is applied along the scribing lines. Thus, as the force is applied, vertical cracks extend along a thickness direction from the scribing lines consisting of vertical cracks to separate the mother panel (the liquid crystal panel 10) into a plurality of liquid crystal panels 10′. Further, a terminal 18 used as a terminal of a thin film transistor (TFT) array is formed on the glass plate 14. The sealant 16 is shown with an exaggerated size in the cross sections shown in the lower side in FIG. 1, in order to show the positions of the sealant 16 clearly.
FIG. 2 shows separating steps (a) to (d) of a liquid crystal panel 10. In order to separate to the liquid crystal panel 10 into liquid crystal panels 10′, two separating steps and two inversion steps are necessary.
(a) By using the scribing apparatus, a scribing line 22a is formed with a glass cutter wheel 20 on one of the glass plates 12.
(b) The liquid crystal panel 10 is carried to a first breaking apparatus by turning the panel upside down. In the breaking apparatus, a breaking bar 26 is pressed down onto the other of the glass plates 14 at the position of the scribing line 22a to break the lower glass plate 12 along the scribing line 22a. 
(c) Next, the liquid crystal panel 10 having the lower glass plate 12 which is already broken is carried to a second scribing apparatus. In the second scribing apparatus, a scribing line 22b is formed with a glass cutter wheel 20 on the other glass plate 14.
(d) Next, the liquid crystal panel 10 is carried to the second breaking apparatus by turning the panel upside down. In the second breaking apparatus, a breaking bar 26 is pressed down onto the other of the glass plates 12 at the position of the scribing line 22b to break the lower glass plate 14 along the scribing line 22b. Thus, the liquid crystal panel 10 is separated into two.
Previously, in a fabrication process for a liquid crystal panel 10, the scribing is performed for the two glass plates 12, 14 after the two glass plates are adhered to each other. Then, as shown in step (c), the scribing is performed on the lower plane of the glass plate 12 and on the upper plane of the glass plate 14. Therefore, the direction of a bending moment given to the liquid crystal panel in the separating step is different between the glass plates 12 and 14. Therefore, the two glass plates cannot be broken at the same time. Therefore, after scribing on the glass plate 12 at step (a), the liquid crystal panel 10 is inverted, and the scribing on the other glass plate 14 is performed. Therefore, two cutting steps and two inversion steps are necessary. Thus, the process of the separation with the apparatus becomes long, and the system structure is large. Further, in the breaking step (d) for the glass plate 14, if the force becomes too large to generate defects in the cross section generated by separating the glass plates 12 and 14 into parts, this decreases the value of the products.